Improved mode of rafting logs and timber



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

NELSON G. BOU-K, OF CLINTON, IOFVA.

IMPROVED MODE OF RAFTING LOGS ANDv TIMBER.

Specification,forming part of Letters Patent No. 36,764, dated October 28, 135..

to the accompanying drawings and to theletters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in con necting the severalglogs or pieces of timber together so as to form a ,raft by means of long timbers chained together at the ends in the form of a parallelogram,wl1ich parallelogram orboom incloses the logs ortimbers to be rafted, which will avoid the lessor damage to logs or timbers caused by boring holes, as is in the mode of rafting now used, and enable the raft to pass over snags and other obstructions with,- out stopping the raft, or allow the raft to be easily removed from the obstruction by tloating the raft away in sections easily handled.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

I take four logs or timbers,A A A A,Figure 1, ofthe lengthswhichI desirethe sides of my `boom to be, and, near each end of the logs or timbers, bore a hole of sufficient diameter to admit a chain of requisite strength, usually a hole two and a half inches in diameter,which will allow a chain of iive-eighths iron to pass through freely. I then place three of the logs or timbers in the form ot' three sides of aparallelogram, as in Fig. l. Then pass through the holes B B B B, Fig. l, chains having a ring at one end, through which the links of the chain may freely pass, and, connectingthe ends of the chain,fasten with'a lock or by driving a wooden pin into the holes through which the chain passes. Having completed three sides ofthe boom, asin Fig. ll, I float thelogs or timbers to be rafted to their places inside the boom, placing the logs or timbers lengthwise the boom, so that the logs or timbers shall float end on or lengthwise the current of the stream where the raft is designed to float. Having filled the boom as above, I bring the fourth log ofthe boom to itsplace, thus completing the parallelogram, as in Fig. 2, and ehainit as above mentioned. rlhusa section of the raft is formed, Fig. 2.

In rafting spars or other very'longtimber in the same boom with shorter logs or timber I strengthen the boom and connect the shorter timbers whiclrform the parallelogram by placing across the top of boom, after the same is filled,a stayoi'lighter timber, which is chained to the boom-timbers in thesame manner as the boom-timbers are chained together. Sections thus constructed are combined until the raft assumes any desired proportions, by connecting the contiguous sides of several sections with chains, in the same manner as in constrncting a single section, and by chaining across each end of the entire raft the oarblock or head-block on which the oars swing.

What I claim as my invention, and which I desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The application of booms to rafting logs and timber in any waters, so as to save the timber rafted from loss, either by boring every log or by obstructions, like 'bars and snags, thus seA curing thc timber `rafted,and transporting the same without diminishing either quality or quantity.

N. C. BOUK. 

